Basket Muzzles

Some of us go through life with canine companions that are calm, cool, and collected--about anything that comes their way in life. Others of us might end up in a different situation where one or more of our canine buddies might deal with some sort of fearful anxious behavior over various things they encounter in life, which might be other dogs, human strangers, small children, thunder, loud noises, territory, rollerblades—the list could go on and on. When fearful anxiety results in aggressive signs such as growling, raised hackles, nipping or biting, it is important to discuss your concerns with a veterinarian. They will help you decide what plan of action is best to try keep pets and people safe. Often at Westgate Pet Clinic we will refer clients with concerns over anxiety that results in fearful aggression to a veterinary behaviorist. Because it often can take a long time to get in for a behavioral referral, one of the most important things we can recommend to our clients with concerns that their pet may potentially bite is a basket muzzle.

A basket muzzle is a muzzle that dogs can wear for a long period of time to prevent a bite from happening. Basket muzzles look a little like a "cage" around the mouth, but if fit properly they can be very comfortable for the dog, and they are a tool that we can use to keep a dog in the home if biting is a concern. Dogs can pant, eat and drink with a basket muzzle on.

There are many fear-aggressive situations in which a basket muzzle might be useful. One situation is the classic family conundrum...crawling baby or toddler presents threat to family canine companion. Unfortunately I was in this situation myself the moment my firstborn began crawling, and for years before I realized that a plastic basket muzzle would do the trick, my family played the game of children in separate room from anxious dog, dog behind baby gate, or dog in kennel; it was a stressful game to play and we weren’t always the best at it. We never had any serious incidents, but we had some close encounters. Even with humane positive reinforcement methods of desensitization and counter-conditioning, even with anti-anxiety medication for our family dog, we still found that our older elementary school children, and now their friends that were running in and out of the house to play, represented a source of anxiety that prompted aggression from our dog. He was an older middle-aged dog at this point, we were his third adoptive family, and we loved and wanted to keep him. With the birth of our third child, I finally made the trip to the U of M Veterinary Teaching Hospital’s Behavior Clinic to purchase a plastic basket muzzle. It was the best purchase we ever made for my border collie/springer spaniel mix. He no longer had to deal with separation from the rest of the family when we could not ensure the situation was safe for our kids or kids coming and going through our house. Our kids and kids that came to the house were safe. Our dog even seemed more relaxed, maybe because he sensed we were finally relaxed. It was a win-win for all of us. I wish I had invested in his basket muzzle a long time before I did, but better late than never. Dr Heather Norton Bower.